Wednesday, 23 March 2016

Fuerte Calaceite, Torrox Costa

Wednesday 23 March

A very pleasant couple of hours or so with David Jefferson and David Coulthard as we walked up to the Fuerte Calaceite above Torrox Costa. Lovely and sunny but rather spoilt by the strong wind, even at 8.30 in the morning. Meeting up we were also greeted by House Sparrows and a Red-rumped Swallow overhead and, no sooner had we left the cars, than we encountering Black Wheatears and Stonechats. This area also provided both House Martin and Barn Swallow along with Blackbird, Goldfinch and Serin. Ere long we had also added a pair of Linnets and the first of a few Sardinian Warblers.

Up on the top, overlooking the hollow below us and higher peaks to the front, we saw Crested Lark and the Ravens appeared as they bombed the passing Short-toed Eagle whilst a male Common Kestrel drifted by showing no interest whatever. Below us both a Blue Rock Thrush and small flock of Greenfinches, mixed with both Serin and Goldfinch and, above, a handful of Common Swifts. At this point Paul and his faithful dog Ellie continued on to the coast whilst David and I retraced out steps to our car, also observing a Chiffchaff and Meadow Pipit on the way.

Reaching the coast at Torrox Costa we parked the car and undertook a return walk up the Rio Torrox where we not only saw many more Barn Swallows, Serin, Goldfinch and Greenfinches but also added both a Subalpine Warbler and Blackcap to the latest Sylvia warbler sightings, yet more Sardinian Warblers. Naturally, a handful of Monk Parakeets had to make their presence known as they noisily flew over our heads.

A very pleasant time culminating in coffee with David's wife, Ann at a cafe on the promenade. What more could you ask for?

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Background Information

I retired at the end of 1998 having been a primary school headteacher for thirty years. After a couple of years undertaking some consultancy/ training work with headteachers, I moved to the Axarquia area of the Costa del Sol in Spain. We now live on a mountain top, a little to the north of Velez Malaga and overlook Lake Vinuela to the north and the sea to the south, which gives us excellent panoramic views of the whole area including the mountains.I have been a birder for over fifty years and before leaving GB I was a qualified "Ringer" for the BTO, undertaking most of my studies in Staffordshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. All three counties being well away from the coast, it is not surprising that my main field of interest were those "Little Brown Jobs" (often referred to as LBJs), with a special emphasis on roost work in the autumns and winters and early morning visits to favoured sites, such as Charwelton on the Banbury road from Daventry where, in June and July, it was possible to catch and ring well over an hundred birds and still be home by just after nine am to take the family shopping!

Always an interest in classical music, I have also sung in operettas and one appearance in a "grand opera" (Aida). Most of the former was with the Stamford Gilbert & Sullivan Players where I had the good fortune to appear, rather than star, in all save "Utopia".